Tag: Academics Mean Business

I really enjoyed chatting with Lindsay Padilla in Episode 53 of the podcast Academics Mean Business (AMB). I’ve been a big fan of this podcast for a while now, so I was delighted to make my own appearance on the show. You can learn so much about entrepreneurship and leadership, from listening to Lindsay’s guests talk about their side-gigs and full-blown businesses.

In my interview we ranged across a number of topics, including my academic career, how I came to leave academia, and when and why I set up my blog Jobs on Toast. Lindsay even reveals the origins and meaning of the name Jobs on Toast (clue – it has something to do with baked beans)!

Towards the end of the interview we get into my plans for my next project, which is going to be around supporting people with their career progression more broadly. After nearly 10 years of focus on supporting PhDs, I’m looking to share the message of skills-based career advancement with a wider audience – more news soon!

I also enjoyed Lindsay’s wide-ranging interview with Gladys Ato in Episode 51. Gladys is someone who has so much rich practical experience and wisdom to share. I especially liked this insight about leadership: ‘Leadership is having a bigger vision for the audience, than the vision they have for themselves’.

I love listening to researchers tell their career stories, and hearing experts relay great advice on job-hunting and self-care. Here are my top 5 shows supporting researchers with finding careers outside academia:

1. Recovering Academic

What I like about the Recovering Academic podcast is that it’s just three researchers talking about the ups and downs of getting a job outside of academia. That’s it. It feels 100% genuine with no sales, no agenda, no preaching, no fake enthusiasm, no pretence that transitioning is going to be easy.

The real value for the listener comes from learning about the personal successes and failures of the hosts: what’s working for them, what hasn’t worked, what else they’re trying. The more episodes you listen to, the closer you feel to Amanda, Cleyde and Ian. They may as well be sitting across the table in the coffee shop or bar, generously sharing their experiences with you!

2. Academics Mean Business

An increasing number of academics are quitting their university jobs in favour of setting up their own businesses. In this podcast series Lindsay Padilla interviews academics-turned-entrepreneurs and finds out about what motivated them to make the switch.

A new feature is for guest lecturers to join the show and share their expert knowledge with listeners. Find out more and subscribe to the Academics Mean Business podcast on Lindsay’s website.

3. Cheeky Scientist Radio

This podcast series feature experts who cover topical subjects like networking, personal branding and conducting informational interviews. While the focus is on jobs in sectors like pharma and biotech, the information is beneficial for any researcher who’s making a career change.

I found the episode on informational interviews to be especially informative and I recommend it to my private clients who I support on this topic. Here’s the link for you to subscribe to the Cheeky Scientist Radio podcast on iTunes.

4. PhD Career Stories

This podcast has a great mix of personal stories along with hints and tips for your career search. If you only listen to one episode, listen to Episode 1 by the podcast’s founder Tina Persson – an energetic and inspiring story of a scientist who’s changed careers and become a recruiter.